An Easy Way to Stuff Chicken Breasts
by Mark Bittman
In almost every instance the sole reason to stuff one food with
another is appearance. So for me the questions are: Is it easy
enough to make it worth the effort? Does the process add or detract
from the overall flavor?
I've gotten to the point where I no longer feel ravioli are worth
my time, for example; I love the way they look, but they taste pretty
much the same as fresh pasta with sauce. I haven't stuffed a turkey
in 20 years because it's counterproductive: the stuffing gets worse
when you cook it inside the turkey.
I do like stuffing chicken breasts with greens, though. The chicken
juices seem to contribute to the greens' flavor, even if subtly. But
the whole pounding and rolling process became burdensome. Call me
lazy; I am.
Here is a technique that has it all: it's easy, it makes chicken
breasts taste good (no mean feat) and, as an added bonus, it produces
lots of servings without much effort.
Take two chicken breast halves and pound them just a little. If
they're an inch thick at first, maybe take them down to three-
quarters of an inch. Lay some cooked greens on one, put the other on
top, and tie them together. It's really not stuffing, but layering.
The cooking of greens and chicken takes place in one pan, first on
the stove top, then in the oven. The resulting dish not only looks
impressive but tastes better than chicken and greens served
separately.
Stuffed Chicken Breasts
=======================
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 pound fresh spinach leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs), optional
4 boneless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Preheat oven to 350F. Cut six 8-inch pieces of butcher twine. Put
2 tablespoons olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high
heat. When hot, add raisins, pine nuts and garlic, and cook for about
30 seconds; add spinach, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook,
stirring constantly, until wilted and fairly dry, about 10 minutes.
Remove and roughly chop; stir in panko, if you like. Set skillet
aside.
Spread out two chicken breasts on a work surface so that the sides
where the bones were face up. Flatten them a bit with your palm, a
rolling pin or the bottom of a pot. Place stuffing on top, then top
with remaining breasts, end to end, the thick side of the top breast
on the thin side of the bottom one, so the "sandwich" is of fairly
even thickness. Tie each stuffed breast in three places with twine.
Sprinkle all sides with salt and pepper. Use remaining tablespoon
of olive oil to brown chicken in skillet used for spinach. Transfer
to oven and bake, turning once, until chicken is cooked through and
opaque, 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove chicken from skillet and tent with foil. Set skillet over
medium heat and add vinegar, mustard and 2 tablespoons water. Cook,
stirring frequently, until sauce is a thin syrup. Add a few more
grinds of black pepper. Remove string from chicken and slice cross-
wise into thin or thick pieces. Serve with a spoonful of sauce
drizzled over all.
'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not keep you
~Sugar
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